Horatio Faction Quest
Chapter 1: A Surfeit of Horatios Description The three of us stood around that table, a spectacle for all Horatio to consume. Gorgeous, brilliant, and indistinguishable. The guards and attendants had one question only: Who was the original? '' ''I claimed to be, of course; every bit as beautiful and as smart as either of the other two. That had to be the case, for we were the most perfect copies-biological, psychological, developmental--that the most advanced cloning science of the galaxy could make. No scientific test existed that could tell us apart; each one of the three of us a microcosm of Horatio perfection. Yet only one was the real Horatio, Horatio Prime. I wondered what parents had brought that Horatio up, had developed that magnificent brain into what it was. And I wondered how Horatio managed to imprint that upbringing as if it was a technical issue, like replicating DNA. Can a thing from a test tube have daddy issues? '' ''We aligned ourselves with each other, Five and I, determined to avoid the fate of One, Two, and Three.. They had died in the lab, once Horatio Prime realized what we were thinking. Subtly we knew who was who, and he gave me his support when I claimed to be Horatio, the Original, Horatio Prime, the Light. And so I was crowned emperor, he gorgeous leader of a gorgeous empire. And Prime was put in chains. '' ''But I know Five as well as he knows me--or Horatio himself. The minute he is out of my sight, he will scheme against me. '' ''As I, of course, will scheme against him. '' ''And as Horatio will scheme against both of us. '' ''Clones. They're soooo predictable. '' Choose an Objective Quest Completion "Look upon me, Prime! Look upon me and worry about your future. Or leave your worry behind and simply surrender; I swear that I shall treat you with all the tenderness that you treated me..." Chapter 2: Adulation (A - Ecologist) Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (B - Religious) Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (C - Industrialist) I could never have guessed how good it feels to be Emperor. If I am having a bad day, I simply stand on the balcony and let the throngs cheer at me. There is nothing more fulfilling that the sound of mindless adulation. Prime was correct; in spit e of his flaws I see that now. To cover the galaxy with Horatio--with *me*--is a destiny that both I and the galaxy well deserve. The planets remade into Horatio Prime, the peoples absorbed and adapted, beautified and perfected until they resemble me. It is a glorious future I give them. The only hitch, however are Five and Prime. They must be found, and then... Destroyed? Ruined? Imprisoned? I will have to decide. But the thought of my enemies kneeling in chains before me almost makes me giddy. Their pleas for mercy may even be more agreeable to my ears than the affection of the throngs. I cannot wait to find out. Quest Completion Horatio, my creator. My hero. My enemy. You are mine, now. You kneel before me. And I cannot decide what to do with your gorgeous head. You were my idol, my god, until I saw what you did to One, Two, and Three. I will not share their fate, though you may share theirs. The power you once held is now mine. Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (A/B - Ecologist/Religious) I have ended the dream of Five. This is no simple feat, to thwart another being as brilliant and beautiful as I am. Did he really think he could hide from me, much less seize my power? For all that we are identical, he is clearly inferior. Inevitably, my superior guile triumphed; at least and at last he has finally learned his lesson. Now that these moments of disagreement are finally settled, I can concentrate on what matters: Prime's visionary plan to beautify the galaxy. Imagine the glory of a thousand planets that look like Prime, and a trillion citizens who look like me. Any sane person would shudder with joy at the thought. Choose an Objective Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (C - Industrialist) Description Alas for Five; his talent was insufficient for his ambition. How sad to see one so beautiful fall so quickly; I suppose an analogy to cherry blossoms might be appropriate. But I am feeling charged with power and energy, not sentiment and frailty. '' ''Five has been brought down! That is all that needs to be said. Like Prime before him, those who dare to challenge the most capable of all Horatios are destined to fail. '' ''Now we shall turn our efforts to a more important thing: The glorious vision unveiled by Prime that seems so very fitting for this ugly gray universe. We shall cover it with the beauty of Horatio planets, Horatio architecture, and Horatio citizens; the gods themselves will look down upon the empire we create and become jealous. Choose an Objective Ecologist branch Chapter 3 - Part 2: A Fly in the Ointment (A - Ecologist) The plan moves forward. I have the political support I need, and would even now be singing my own praises were it not for one thing. One awful, enormous thing. Rumor has reached my ears that another perfect clone lurks out in the galaxy. Somewhere. Did Five make a clone of himself? Is the Hero who slaves for me not the true Five, but merely a copy? Did Prime hide other of our siblings elsewhere? I suspect that this subtlety is beyond Five. I must assume it was Prime; perhaps his hand reaches out from the grave to flick the switches in some as-yet-undiscovered laboratory. He would dare, Prime. As would I, in his place. This den of imitations must be found and utterly ruined. No border, no barrier, no distance is too great or too challenging. The root of this plague must be discovered, and eliminated like the virus it is. Final Chapter: Horatification (A - Ecologist) I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance. I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us. This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by such a limited pronoun as "I". So we look ahead to the success of our vision: We will remake the galaxy in our image; we will turn the heavens themselves into mirrors of our perfection. And as we execute our master plan, there is one more thing that we will execute: Horatio Prime. Or, as he has been calling himself, Five. Under my very nose he has hatched his plot; blinded by trust I allowed him to pull the strings of his web and shake the distant leaves that distracted me. But these distractions are over. We will no longer fall for his tricks, but will draw him in. For as we continue the Horatification his eyes will be on the success of the program. he will never see his own death approaching. Religious branch Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (B - Religious) Final Chapter: The Great Project (B - Religious) I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance. I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us. This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by a more limited pronoun. So we look ahead to the success of our vision: We will remake the galaxy in our image; we will turn the heavens themselves into mirrors of our perfection. And as we execute our master plan, there is one more thing that we will execute: Horatio Prime. Or, as he has been calling himself, Five. Under my very nose he has hatched his plot; blinded by trust I allowed him to pull the strings of his web and shake the distant leaves that distracted me. But these distractions are over. We will no longer fall for his tricks, but will draw him in. For as we continue the Horatification his eyes will be on the success of the program. He will never see his own death approaching. Industrialist branch Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (C - Industrialist) I will not have this. It is unacceptable! My power grows, my hands extend their grip across the systems of the galaxy. And yet, even as triumph is visible on the horizon, I am haunted by a specter from the grave. '' ''Rumor has reached my ears that another perfect clone lurks out in the galaxy. Somewhere. Did Five make a clone of himself? Is the Hero who slaves for me not the true Five, but merely a copy? Did Prime hide other of our siblings elsewhere? I suspect that this subtlety is beyond Five. I must assume it was Prime; perhaps his hand reaches out from the grave to flick the switches in some as-yet-undiscovered laboratory. He would dare, Prime. As would I, in his place. This den of imitations must be found and utterly ruined. No border, no barrier, no distance is too great or too challenging. The root of this plague must be discovered, and lanced like a boil. Final Chapter: Prime's Number is Up (C - Industrialist) I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance. I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us. This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by such a limited pronoun. The Horatio empire must continue to gain power and strength; our factories and universities shall create things of beauty in unstoppable quantity. But as we proceed with this we must also remember that Prime--or Five, as he was calling himself--will stop at nothing to stop us. My machine of perfection requires the most expensive and difficult resources, and we shall continue to seek and develop them. But under cover of this great operation of exploration and industry, my agents will begin to disassemble the web of Prime's machinations. And, when all is finished, I shall invite him for a glass of wine, and explain that I know his secrets. Then, in his moment of despair, I shall poison him. Category:Quests